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White Sox's Murakami looks like free-agency steal after historic start
Chicago White Sox third baseman Munetaka Murakami. Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

White Sox's Munetaka Murakami looks like free-agency steal after historic start

By Clark Dalton  |  Last updated Mar 30, 2026 1:05 PM ET

The Chicago White Sox knew Japanese third baseman Munetaka Murakami could hit for power, but they probably didn't know he had this much pop. 

Murakami, 26, homered in the top of the second inning of a 9-7 road loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday. In doing so, he became the fourth player in MLB history to homer in his first three career games (via ESPN Insights). The others are Cleveland Guardians right fielder Chase DeLauter, former Seattle Mariners/Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Kyle Lewis and Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story. 

Munetaka Murakami sounds off on impressive feat

"I'm truly grateful and happy that I was able to keep that kind of record, but like I said before, there's still a long way to go and a lot of ways to improve," he said postgame through interpreter Kenzo Yagi, per Scott Merkin of MLB.com. "So, that is what I'll keep on doing in the upcoming days."

If he does, that would make the White Sox feel even better about signing him to a two-year, $34M deal this offseason.

Munetaka Murakami could be free-agency steal for White Sox

Murakami spent longer on the free-agent market than expected. The White Sox didn't sign him until December 2025.

Teams knew he had plenty of power, but his high strikeout rate gave them pause during free agency. Per FanGraphs, he posted a 28.6 percent strikeout rate during 224 plate appearances in 2025 with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows in the Nippon Baseball League (the top league in Japan). A strikeout rate over 25 percent is considered poor. 

Murakami is off to a fast start, but he could be even better if he refines his plate discipline. Entering Monday, he had logged a 30.8 percent strikeout rate through 13 plate appearances. 

"Definitely opposing pitchers are mixing it up, and it's really hard to really find out where they're going to throw," Murakami said. "I study and analyze these situations as much as possible, utilizing even our pitchers as well through the PitchCom, depending on the situation." 

If Murakami improves at reading pitches, watch out. He may continue to emerge as an X factor for the White Sox, which would make several teams regret passing on him in free agency. 

Clark Dalton
Twitter/X Muck Rack

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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